10 Years Ago This Weekend, Deadly Tornado Ripped Through Utica, Ill.
Jeremy Thorsen had just left the Milestone Tap when he saw a tornado hit the building.
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Jeremy Thorsen had just left the Milestone Tap when he saw a tornado hit the building.
With a long, harsh winter finally over, residents in downstate Washington have resumed the rebuilding process in earnest, nearly five months after the town was devastated by a tornado.
In addition to more than 1,000 homes destroyed or severely damaged by the Nov. 17 twister in Washington, about 1,000 trees were ripped out.
The Cass County emergency manager reported the tornado just before 3 p.m. Thursday near the town of Arenzville. That's about 50 miles west of Springfield.
When a powerful tornado ripped through downstate Washington in November, Joe Ranallo set out to raise $10,000 as part of a class project to help provide some measure of relief to the victims – a goal he surpassed, and then some.
Grammy-winners Chicago will play a free benefit concert later this month to raise money for tornado recovery efforts in Illinois.
Crews were out Christmas Eve, and they were back at it the day after Christmas, clearing away debris from the tornado almost six weeks ago.
A group of students in downstate Washington have created a set of "Washington Strong" wristbands, as part of an effort to support survivors of last month's tornado.
Three Peoria men are in custody after investigators say they were looting a tornado-damaged home in the central Illinois community of Washington.
A group from the village of Lombard is heading southwest tomorrow morning - with loads of tools and supplies to help the people of Washington, Illinois, rebuild after the tornado, reports WBBM's Steve Miller.
Authorities say this week's benefit concert for Illinois tornado victims has raised about $300,000 for relief efforts.
More than a dozen Chicago Bears headed to central Illinois to help with cleanup efforts in the tornado-ravaged community of Washington and meet with members of the community's high school football team.
The town of Washington, Ill. is looking for help with the cleanup after a tornado devastated much of the town two weeks ago.
The latest victim is 82-year-old Rosamund Allison, who sustained injuries in the Nov. 17 tornado.
The Crossroads United Methodist Church near Peoria became a huge banquet hall, serving more than a thousand Thanksgiving meals to people whose last 10 days have been kind of a blur.
The announcement came one day after Gov. Pat Quinn submitted his request for tornado relief for the affected counties, where more than 1,000 homes remain uninhabitable.
In the last nine days, residents of downstate Washington have faced challenges they never imagined, in the wake of a devastating tornado.
The state is trying to prevent Illinois tornado victims from becoming victims of scam artist contractors.
Washington Ald. Tyler Gee said the weather means real reconstruction will be delayed for hundreds of families.
CBS 2's Susanna Song reports one big donation is giving Washington residents a new spring in their steps.
Many residents in downstate Washington were getting their first chance to return to what's left of their homes on Friday, five days after a violent tornado ripped much of the small town to shreds.
For the first time since the deadly tornadoes hit Illinois on Sunday, federal emergency management officials were on the ground in Washington on Thursday to survey the damage.
Federal officials will be meeting with state and local authorities in downstate Washington on Thursday to begin evaluating the damage caused to homes and businesses on Sunday, when tornadoes devastated the small town and other parts of central Illinois.
Surveillance video outside a store in Diamond, Ill. shows a tornado blowing a house away in an instant.
The weather service estimates winds of up to 135 miles an hour hit Manhattan and Frankfort. Three days after that terrible tornado those communities are beginning to bounce back.
Roger Simon, a celebrated political columnist who worked for the Chicago Sun-Times and Tribune, Politico, and other news organizations, died last week.
An off-duty Gary firefighter has been arrested on multiple charges, accused of hitting an Indiana State Police trooper's SUV before driving away while under the influence.
Labor talks resumed Monday between union workers and the BP Whiting refinery in Lake County, Indiana.
Before the Chicago Bears beat the Carolina Panthers 59-37 in a wild NFL season opener, quarterback Caleb Williams gave some young fans a special gift to help them get ready for the occasion.
The Nasdaq slid 1% on Monday after AI company executives called for a slowdown in developing the technology.
Roger Simon, a celebrated political columnist who worked for the Chicago Sun-Times and Tribune, Politico, and other news organizations, died last week.
This week on The Angle, CBS Chicago's Chris Tye sat down with Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias to dive deeper into his campaign to become Chicago's next mayor.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed his supporters at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center Sunday afternoon, officially announcing his bid for a second term.
The congressman thanked the pilot and first responders for coming to their aid, and expressed his gratitude at only having sustained minor injuries.
A federal judge has granted a stipulated temporary restraining order exempting the Chicago Archdiocese and its health care providers from participating in Illinois' new medical aid in dying law or being penalized for their refusal.
Nicor customers will get a break on their bills this fall after Illinois Attorney General Kwame Roul reached an agreement with the utility to cut $140 million from its requested rate hike.
Drivers in Chicago and beyond were paying the highest gas prices ever recorded for the Labor Day holiday as millions of Americans were making their way home on Monday.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit Thursday against ABC Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric Inc., alleging deceptive business practices.
Cook County homeowners are again facing a sharper increase in property taxes this year than businesses, the Office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas announced Monday.
Cardinal Blase Cupich and a group of Catholic nuns have joined a federal lawsuit challenging Illinois' Medical Aid in Dying law, which is set to take effect in just over a week.
Flies have been everywhere this summer in the Chicago area, and some of them bite. But why is this happening?
Prime Healthcare is drawing criticism after announcing it will stop obstetrics services at three Chicago-area hospitals.
The Chicago Department of Public Health on Tuesday announced two human cases and one death from the West Nile virus in the city this year, and one of those two people has died.
The Jackson Chance Foundation supports the lives of families with babies in the NICU by removing the financial burden of finding parking near hospitals.
Plans for a new Chicago White Sox stadium in the South Loop have residents near the existing ballpark in Bridgeport concerned, not just because the team might be leaving, but also what might be coming nearby.
A new report from the University of Illinois Chicago said federal immigration enforcement led to $1.26 billion in unspent money at retail establishments and restaurants in Cook County.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
A new Whole Foods Market is coming to Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.
More than 100 Black-owned businesses were showcased at Soldier Field Sunday for Black on the Block.
The stage was set and the air was humid as rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, took the stage for the first of two Chicago concerts at Soldier Field Thursday night.
James Fulton Engstrom, now a healthy teenager, was born without a pulse in 2010 — and his survival is the miracle the Catholic Church credited to Fulton Sheen's intercession, clearing the way for beatification.
The Met's decision to highlight the work by designer John Galliano sparked widespread controversy due to his history of antisemitic and racist comments.
The Edgewater Music Festival was under way this weekend on Chicago's north lakefront.
People around the world, including Chicago, continued to gather Wednesday to pay tribute to the late Dolly Parton.
Meteorologist David Yeomans has your 11 a.m. First Alert Weather forecast for Monday, Sept. 14, 2026.
As oil and gas prices spike due to the U.S. war with Iran, President Trump is pointing the finger at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after diesel fuel topped a record $6 per gallon in the U.S., according to AAA.
More than 800 workers represented by the United Steelworkers Local 7-1 have been locked out of the refinery since March.
The Exxon Mobil refinery in southwest suburban Channahon, Illinois, said it trying to find what caused a major power outage on Sunday.
The people hospitalized after the fire on Austin Avenue included an 8-year-old boy. Lauren Victory reports.
Three people were taken to the hospital from the scene of a fire in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood early Monday.
Roger Simon, a celebrated political columnist who worked for the Chicago Sun-Times and Tribune, Politico, and other news organizations, died last week.
Three of the victims were taken to the hospital in critical condition. The other two were taken in fair condition.
An off-duty Gary firefighter has been arrested on multiple charges, accused of hitting an Indiana State Police trooper's SUV before driving away while under the influence.
Labor talks resumed Monday between union workers and the BP Whiting refinery in Lake County, Indiana.
Chicago police crime data show 255 reported crimes in the last two years on the two blocks where the former Hard Rock and Rainforest cafés sit vacant. Neighbors have been calling the city about the alley between them for six years.
A three-year effort by the Cook County Sheriff's Office to help bring down crime on the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago appears to be working.
Several lawsuits are challenging Illinois' medical aid in dying law that is set to take effect on Sept. 12, including one in federal court arguing the law discriminates against people with disabilities.
Back in 2023, ISP got a $10 million grant from the Illinois Secretary of State's Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Council.
Two years before dozens of decomposing bodies were found inside the South Chicago Chapel funeral home, police in nearby Evergreen Park found two bodies in the owners' minivan outside their home.
Before the Chicago Bears beat the Carolina Panthers 59-37 in a wild NFL season opener, quarterback Caleb Williams gave some young fans a special gift to help them get ready for the occasion.
The White Sox, who have lost 10 of their last 14 games, begin a three-game series Monday in Cleveland.
The Pirates (75-75) closed out a 4-2 stay in Chicago. They swept the White Sox before dropping two of three against the Cubs.
The team's previous season opener record was a 45-7 win over the Packers in 1948.
Chicago White Sox snapped a four-game losing streak with a 6-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night.
A 15-year-old girl returned to court Monday to face murder charges, after authorities said she was one of a few people responsible for pushing a man out of a moving Chicago Transit Authority Red Line train.
An 85-year-old man from Crown Point, Indiana, was arrested this past weekend on accusations of shooting his wife.
Chicago police this past weekend issued a warning about a man who grabbed a woman at a CTA Blue Line station in Wicker Park.
Three of the victims were taken to the hospital in critical condition. The other two were taken in fair condition.
Chicago police crime data show 255 reported crimes in the last two years on the two blocks where the former Hard Rock and Rainforest cafés sit vacant. Neighbors have been calling the city about the alley between them for six years.
